Language and Terrorism: A Pragmatic and Semiotic Analysis of the Girls’ Transformation in Four Daughters (2023)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1512.22Keywords:
visual semiotics, hybrid documentary, multimodal discourse, visual-linguistic naturalization, Kaouther Ben HaniaAbstract
The research investigates "Four Daughters" (2023) by Kaouther Ben Hania through pragmatic and semiotic analysis to study how extremist discourse transforms the linguistic and identity aspects of the girls. The research proposes that the transition from maternal openness to ideological closure occurs through intricate processes of symbolic and linguistic breakdown. Specific film sequences are examined to demonstrate how silence, body language, and spoken words function in creating this identity transformation. The analysis shows how ideological discourse transforms identity by removing doubt and openness to create absolute certainty and finality. The research incorporates Austin and Searle's speech act theory, Barthes' semiotics of imagery, and Bourdieu's concept of symbolic power in language. It demonstrates that the film presents more than just a documentation of personal crises, as it reveals a general symbolic breakdown that cinema uses to expose the discursive fractures resulting in radicalization.
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